Happy Belated Birthday to the MRC: A Year-Plus In Review

In February 2012 the Midwest Reiki Community (MRC) was born. It all began with an idea and an email. The idea was to create union within our healing communities, and an email went out to a network of Reiki teachers in and around Chicago, asking who would like to co-create this union.

A couple of teachers were on board from the get-go, excited to help shape this idea into a reality. They decided to start by offering a space for Reiki-attuned individuals to share and practice Reiki with one another, to learn from one another. The call went out to all the Reiki people they knew: come one, come all, let’s share some Reiki. The response was overwhelmingly positive; people were hungry for a place to come together, to connect, to share. This was just what they had been looking for.

Shortly after its inception, the MRC established its intent by creating a mission and a vision focused on building and supporting a local Reiki community, as well as reaching out to our neighbors to spread the power of Reiki beyond those already attuned to this life changing healing energy. A core group who had time and energy to invest in this project began to work together to fulfill the MRC’s shiny new mission by planning the MRC’s first Reiki Shares and outreach events. The group combined their creative energies to make the MRC’s first events not only a reality but a resounding success.

Now, 15 months later, the MRC continues to thrive and expand, hosting regular Reiki Shares, facilitating connection and communication among Reiki practitioners, educating members and wider audiences, and bringing people together behind a common purpose. We — Heather, Tracey, Gina, and Molly — are committed to continuing and expanding the work of the MRC, and we invite your support in the form of participation, ideas, time, energy, and donations. If you would like to get more directly involved, or if you have an idea that you would like to suggest for the MRC, please contact us.

But first, let’s take a moment to reflect on all that the MRC has accomplished and become over the past 15 months, shall we?

Reiki Shares: Energy Exchange

A group shot from the very first Midwest Reiki Community Reiki Share on March 21, 2012

The first official MRC Reiki Share took place on March 21, 2012. Fourteen of us gathered at SkyLab in downtown Chicago to learn a simple chakra clearing technique and share Reiki energy with one another. Since then we have hosted 22 additional Reiki Shares, each lasting about two hours each and allowing participants to both practice giving Reiki, as well as enjoy receiving its healing benefits. The Shares provide a safe and welcoming space for anyone attuned to Reiki to tune into their inherent healing capabilities while experimenting, learning, and receiving feedback from one another.

Outreach: Energy to Share

For many MRC-ers, the only thing better than receiving Reiki is giving it, and nothing beats having the opportunity to give someone their very first Reiki experience. MRC volunteers have given Reiki to homeless veterans at the annual VA Stand Down event, to intellectually and developmentally disabled children and their caretakers at the Northpointe Resources health fair, and to People’s Summitparticipants, just to name a few.

Also, in April of 2012, the MRC not only gave Reiki to some first-timers but also attuned them to Reiki, as part of a pilot program in partnership with Haymarket Center. Haymarket is a halfway house and healing center for men and women struggling with chemical dependency, and as a result of this pilot program, nine women received Reiki for the first time, and all nine of them returned the following week to be attuned to Reiki. It was a truly moving experience for all involved.

So, while much of our effort over the past 15 months has been focused on building a community of Reiki lights by hosting regular Reiki Shares and by building a strong online presence, we have also strived to fulfill the second half our mission by sharing the power of Reiki with our greater local community.

Over the coming months we hope to expand our outreach efforts, and we look forward to offering more volunteer opportunities to the MRC community.

Future Directions: Harnessing Our Energy

The MRC plans to continue twice monthly Reiki Shares in our new home at Urban Escape Healing in West Town, and in the great outdoors at local parks as weather permits. We hope to host more great speakers as often as possible, and will continue to seek out outreach opportunities, which is a great way to get involved and spread the energy of Reiki. In addition, we will continue to build and support you and all Reiki lights by maintaining an online presence that allows for information exchange and facilitates connection within our wonderful Reiki community.

Also, stay tuned for an exciting new announcement about the growth of the MRC. (Hint: “Go west, young MRC.”)

Happy belated birthday, MRC!!

How can YOU get more involved with the MRC?
Here are just a few ideas…

Come to a Reiki Share

Volunteer for an outreach event (see descriptions of some of our past events)

Join our Meetup group to get updates on upcoming Shares and outreach events